On March 15,2019 my sister and I reserved a spot on your boat to see the manta rays.
The boat was nice, you and your crew were very well organized and pleasant. We were surprised that there were 21 passengers on the boat, but since we both have or have had boats in Puget sound, we knew that it was safe, however crowded.
It was a very pleasant evening and the sunset was beautiful. In your orientation talk you mentioned that where you usually go to view the mantas there had not been any four nights in a row, so you would be taking us to an alternate location that you had been to the night before, but that you had not seen any mantas there as well the previous night.
On the trip out to the viewing location several participants were or felt sea sick, goes with the territory. Upon our arrival at the small harbor next to the Sheraton, everyone was prepped for the water, floating devices were in place, we entered the water and waited and waited. No mantas came. However, you did point out that the boats in the small harbor had mantas, they weren’t supposed to be where they were, they could be fined, but the law was not being enforced and it wasn’t fair that they didn’t come out to where you were anchored.
Here is my feedback for you:
1) Don’t tell us that you can see the mantas 300 feet from our location, that only enhanced our disappointment, especially when we are cold, tired and many more of the boats occupants are sick or feeling sick including my sister and I, who have never been sea sick.
2) You had been to that location the night before and new how the other boats gathered in the harbor, right or wrong, you knew that’s how they operated. Why didn’t you anchor closer to them, or at least pull up anchor and move closer. You told us the other boats around us did just that. I am a profoundly law abiding citizen, but would also have felt a moral obligation to my clientel and risked a $100 per person fine and taken an income loss for the night. Seems like a better solution than “I hope the mantas see us out here”.
3) As it was, you returned to the dock with a boat full of mostly sick, very disappointed participants (for the sixth night in a row) who instead of being thrilled with seeing manta rays felt “like we were training for the navy seals”. The only thing that could have made it worse was if it had rained. The offer to go again for free was a moot point; I would choose a company that offers a 5 minute boat ride. It’s been 30 years since I have been to the Big Island and this was to be the highlight of my trip, a gift from my daughter, I haven’t had the heart to tell her it wasn’t.
I realize that mantas are wild creatures and there were no guarantees that we would see them, but when you can see that they are only a few hundred feet away its time to come up with plan “B”, not blame it on others for “not playing fair”. Perhaps you and your crew can brainstorm on various scenarios to ensure your future trips are an adventure and not an endurance test.